Mute for stringed instruments



C. BADALAMENTI.

MUTE FOR smmego INSTRUMENTS.

anaemic:

1 91 514 eoo UNITED STATES PATENT onnrcn.

CARLO BADALAMENTI, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

IMUTE FOR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS.

Application filed May 3, 1919.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, CARLO BADALAMENTI, acitizen of the United States of An'ierica, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mutes for Stringed Instruments, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

In the use of mutes for lessening the in tensity or loudness of the tone of stringed instruments, particularly violins. bass viols and the like, it is desirable not only for them to be readily applicable to the bridge, but also of such a character as not to change the quality of the tone of the instrument to which the mute is applied.

This invention relates to mutes for stringed instruments of the violin or bass viol type, which are so constructed as to preserve theresonance and quality of the tone while at the same time the intensity or loudness thereof is diminished in the usual manner. A further object of the invention is to provide a mute which is light, easily carried. and quickly adjusted.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a bridge and strings of an instrument with a mute applied thereto that embodies features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the mute; and

Fig. 3 is a view in cross section.

As herein shown a mute is formed with a sound box 1 having a top 2 and convergent side walls 8, the top being carried over the rounded corners 4 and forming end walls 5.

Below the mouth of the sound box the walls are continued, being cut away to form pairs of fingers 6 spaced to avoid the strings 7 of the instrument for which the mute is designed while at the same time the end por- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

Serial No. 294,430.

tions 8 of the fingers grip the bridge 9 firmly. Preferably the sound box is made of spring metal or at least those portions of the side walls 3 which form the fingers 6 are of resilient material so as to firmly grip the bridge below the upper string face 10 thereof. In adjusting the bridge it may be slid up or down to give the desired result, the mouth of the sound box, being of course, in communication with the openings formed in the side walls between the fingers and above the bridge.

As a result of this construction a mute is obtained the sound box of which helps to preserve the timber or resonance of the tone of the instrument while at the same time the tone softened or subdued without having the muffied effect produced by a mute having a solid body instead of the sound cavity or box. Because of the formation of the fingers the bridge is gripped firmly below the stringed edge thereof and the mute itself is light ancl readily carried.

Obviously, changes in the details of construction may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention and I do not care-to limit myself to any particular form or arrangement of parts.

What I claim is A mute for stringed instruments comprising a sound box of resonant and resilient sheet material formed of convergent side walls and top and end walls integrally connected at the meeting portions, said side, end and top walls forming a sound box and the side walls extending beyond the mouth of the box in convergent opposed pairs of fingers adapted to yieldingly grip a bridge lit a distance from the mouth proper of the OK.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CARLO BADALAMENTI. lVitnesses C. R. STICKNEY, A. M. Donn. 

